It is frequently necessary or desirable to extend conduits or service transmission lines at shallow depths beneath the surface of the earth. Normally, a trench is formed in the surface of the earth for receipt of the conduit. The conduit is installed in the trench and the trench is subsequently back filled. Excavating disturbs the surface of the earth and substantially destroys any adjacent landscaping. The time and cost of installing the conduit are increased as a result of the excavating, backfilling, and restoring the surface of the earth to a desired condition.
Alternatively, various types of devices have been devised in the past for boring horizontally extending passageways through the earth such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,017 to Gessner, U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,062 to Alft et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,557 to Krueger et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,795 to Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,002 to Mercer, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,559 to Kelm, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Most of these prior art devices are limited to boring in a substantially straight line over a short length such as the width of a sidewalk or a driveway, for example, and require the boring device to be retracted to subsequently install the conduit. The time and cost of installing the conduit with the prior art horizontal boring devices are increased as a result of the limited directional control and length of the bore, and the necessity to retract the device prior to installing the conduit.
It would be desirable to have an earth boring device for boring horizontally beneath the surface of the earth and installing a conduit therein without substantially disturbing the surface of the earth.